Stay-home mums 'are penalised'

STAY-at-home mothers face losing out after Coalition plans to overhaul child benefit and for a new childcare allowance appeared to snub them.

Stay-home mums could lose out after Coalition plans to overhaul child benefit

Campaigners and MPs have warned that plans to hand working women tax breaks to help pay for childcare while taking away child benefit from middle-class families will discriminate against mothers who choose not to work.

Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg have been urged to bring forward plans aimed at giving parents who look after their children at home their own tax breaks.

Yesterday child benefit was cut for 1.1million families where a single earner is paid more than £60,000 a year, including many that have a mother at home looking after the children.

Petty Tory MP Tim Loughton said: "There is an army of parents who work hard at home to bring up their children who are losing out on child benefit and other allowances now.

"They need a Conservative-led government to put into practice what it said on the tin in our manifesto and deliver a transferable married couples tax allowance in the next Budget before time runs out."

Caps on benefit rises were attacked yesterday by a senior Lib Dem ahead of a key Commons vote today.

Sarah Teather, former Families Minister, got a swift slap-down from Mr Clegg after accusing the Government of "petty game-playing" that hit low-paid workers. She said: "It's playground politics not worthy of us."